Valve for musical instruments



July 9, 1957 MILLER 2,798,401

VALVE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed April ll, 1955 j 3 Z L5.

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States PatentO 2,798,401 VALVE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Louis R. Miller, Elkhart, Ind., assignor to Anderson Silver Plating (10., Elkhart, Ind., a copartnership Application April 11, 1955, Serial No. 500,569

3 Claims. (Cl. 84-392) This invention relates generally to musical instruments and more particularly to improved valve means for use in the brass horn class of instruments.

Generally speaking, the manually operated valves employed with brass horns follow a construction pattern employing means for guiding the valve pistons from their upper ends leaving the lower end of the piston free to ride within the body of the cylinder guided only by contact with the side walls of said cylinder. If great precision and care is taken in the production of such a guided piston, a practical valve assembly capable of porting air as desired with minimum leakage at the valve ports may be achieved. Generally, guiding of a piston from its upper end increases the difliculty of maintaining uniform clearance between the piston and cylinder side wall and of properly lubricating the assembly. Unless extreme care is devoted in the manufacture of this type of guided piston and cylinder assembly, leaky ports and stilt acting cylinder assemblies result.

My invention seeks, mainly by virtue of an improved concept in guiding the piston, to promote an improved valve assembly for musical instruments having an easy action, capable of maintaining uniform lubricating films between the piston and cylinder side walls and constructed to minimize leakage of the valve ports. Basically, the improvement which makes the above factors possible resides in guiding the piston largely from its lower end as opposed to the upper end guide system presently known in the art. While this factor by and of itself may appear a simple step, such nevertheless leads to most gratifying results by greatly simplifying manufacturing procedures and demonstrating an operational smoothness heretofore experienced only in valves made with extreme care by the most skilled craftsmen. Also a generally higher standard of overall quality may be maintained at less cost using mass production methods than has heretofore been possible with previous assemblies'of this class.

The main object of this invention is to provide a new and improved valve assembly for use with brass horn musical instruments.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved valve means for brass band instruments, embodying a guide system which acts to guide the valve piston and maintain uniform clearances between such piston and the interior side walls of the valve cylinder.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new. and improved guide means for valve means of brass band instruments and the like, which maintains a uniform clearance over the length and circumference of the valve while such is in operation.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved valve assembly for brass band instruments particularly embodying a means for maintaining uniform clearance between the piston and valve members of the assembly so as to improve lubrication of such members and to simplify the manufacture, assembly and maintenance of such valve means.

A still further object of this invention is to provide ,der is connected with port C thereof.

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a new and improved construction for a valve means of the type employed in brass band instruments which is capable of being produced as a uniformly standard product while reducing thecost of manufacturing without sacrificing quality. s

The above and further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of an, embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a typical valve: assembly embodying the concepts of this invention and showing particularly the external appearance of the cylinder side walls;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the valve assembly illustrated in Figure l;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of Figure 1 and setting out the various elements-and their assembled relationship as: found in the improved valve assembly of this invention;

.Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially at line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4 taken substantially at line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Turning now to the drawings it will be understood that the assembly indicated generally by numeral 10 therein, comprises a tubular cylinder 11 having ports or openings A, B, C, and D formed through the side wallsthereof and further provided with support posts 12, 12 and 13, 13 for mounting such cylinder in a nest with others of a similar or like nature. The opposite ends of the cylinder 11 are threaded for receiving a bottom cap member 14 and an upper cap member 15.

- As seen best in Figure 3; the cylinder 11 receives a piston assembly indicated generally by numeral 20 and including a hollow tubular piston member 21 provided with ported openingsZZ, 23, 24, 25 and two others not shown-there being six ports altogether in piston 21 illustrated, according to conventional practice. Such piston: ports are interconnected in pairs by internal tube means; (not shown) again according to conventional and known practice in the art. The interconnectionof the piston. ports is such that when the piston assembly is depressed to its lower limit of travel, port A of the cylinder 11 is connected with port D thereof and port B of the cylin-- Conversely, when the piston is in its raised position (as shown in Figures l.3 of the drawings), port C of the cylinder is connected with port D. This porting serves to produce the desired fiow of air for the born.

The piston 21 is particularly fitted with a bottom plug wall 26 containing a pilot opening for receiving a cylindrical guide rod 27 which is held rigidly in place and projects from a plug plate 28 keyed to the lower end of the cylinder 11 and inside of the bottom closure cap 14. The cooperating relationship between the plug wall 26 and thepilot guide rod 27 serves to produce the new and improved guide means for my valve assembly, the length of rod 27. being such as to accommodate the full stroke travel of the piston without disengaging plug 26.

The upper end of the piston 21 is also fitted with a plug member 30 into which is sweated the lower endof a piston rod 31. It will be. noted that the upper end of the piston rod carries a manually engageable push. button'means 32 according to known practice. .Plug 30 extends to the cylinder side walls and acts as a guide means for maintaining the upper end of the piston coaxial of the cylinder. Overlying the plug member 30 is a pilot plate 33 having a raised annular shoulder portion 34 and having a central opening 35 for the passage of a piston rod 31 therethrough. Plate 33 fits concentrically within the cylinder 11 and rests on an internal shoulder 36 formed in the side walls of such cylinder. V

shoulder portion 34. The upper'endof the spring mem ber 37 is likewise guided on a second pilotlplate;38 which is affixed rigidly to or formed integrallywith the piston rod 31. ure 3, for example, the rod member 31 is formedin two sections, 31 and 39 which are interfitted by a threaded projection or stem 40 formed at the lower end of the upper rod portion 39. Disposed concentrically about the upper portion of the piston rod and located between the upper face of the guide plate 38 and the lower face of the upper cap member 15 is a resilient washer 41 which acts as a buffer to absorb the shock of upward movement for the piston assembly.

Thus the various elements which comprise the improved valve assembly of this invention are set for. Of particular importance, of course, is the provision of the improved guide rod 27 and pilot hole formed in the bottom end of the piston means with which it cooperates. This guide system presents a most successful means of guiding the piston concentrically within cylinder 21. The pilot hole in the bottom plate 26 is also used as a guide means for machining the several ports of the piston. By keying the plate 26 into fixed relationship with the blank piston cylinder, and thereafter machining the ports through the side walls of the piston, an accurate means for registering and locating the ported openings of the piston with respect to the guide pin means is achieved. Thereafter the assembly of the bottom plate 28 with the cylinder and the keying of such in its proper location with respect to said cylinder, insures proper registration of the piston ports and the cylinder ports. Incidentally the keyway in cylinder 21 for plate 28 acts as a guide way for locating the cylinder ports properly.

It must further be recognized that the solitary guide pin 27 at the lower end of the piston assembly and the fixed plate 26 in the piston itself determines a fixed path of movement for the piston, reduces guide friction to a minimum and also facilitates. the assembly and reassembly of the piston and cylinder in predetermined relationship. I have also found that guiding the piston on its lower end serves to maintain the piston substantially concentrically within the cylinder 21. This concentric relationship prevents the wiping away of the lubricant film during the reciprocation of the piston within the valve cylinder. Normally a piston guided from the top, according to present practice, has a tendency to tilt slightly so that such scrapes the lubricant from parts of the cylinder side walls and destroys the uniform film of lubricant. By guiding the piston from the bottom as I have set forth herein, a uniform film of lubricant is maintained giving improved action to the valve piston. Such a uniform lubricant film also aids in preventing air bypass or leakage of the ports.

The cleaning and assembly of the piston and valve is extremely simple, as will be recognized, requiring only the alignment of the guide rod 27 with the receptive opening therefor in plate 26 followed by the threading of the top holding cap 15 in place.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that I have herein provided and described a new and improved assembly for a musical band instrument valve assembly particularly useful in brass band instruments. It will also be recognized that while I have attributed the features of my invention to a particular and preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, its concepts In the particular embodiment. illustrated in Fig-- and features are not to be necessarily restricted and limited to such disclosure herein described and shown explug means disposed in the lower end of said piston, and

a single guide rod means located radially inward of the peripheries of and extending between said plate means and said plug means for guiding the lower end of said piston concentrically within the interior of said cylinder; said spring means serving to normally maintain said plug means adjacent the upper end of said rod means.

2. In a valve assembly of the class described for use in musical band instruments, the combination comprising, a hollow tubular piston having air passage ports formed through its side walls, a tubular cylinder receptive of said piston and likewise having air ports formed through its side walls, a plug means mounted in the lower end of said piston, a plate means mounted in the lower end of said cylinder, a single guide rod means extending transversely of said plate means and paralleling the longitudi nal axis of said cylinder, a pilot hole formed inwardly of the periphery of said plug means for receiving said guide rod means, said guide rod means serving to guide.

said piston concentrically within said cylinder and furnishing a locating means for properly aligning the ports of said piston with the ports of said cylinder.

3. In a musical band instrument valve assembly of the class described, the combination comprising, a tubular cylinder, a tubular piston reciprocal within said cylinder, a plug means closing over the upper end of said piston, valve stem means extending coaxially of said plug means and piston, a cap means closing over the upperend of said cylinder and having a central opening for the'passage of said stem means, spring means concentrically surrounding said stem means, a stationary plate means mounted within the upper end of said cylinder between said cap means and said plug means, shoulder means extending outwardly of said stern means and forming a support for the upper end of.said spring means, said spring being disposed between said shoulder and plate means for normally biasing'said piston away from the lower end of said cylinder whereby the downward stroke of said piston serves to compress said spring means, a plug member having a pilot hole mounted across the bottom end of said piston member, a plate member keyed tothe lower end of said cylinder, a guide rod fixed at its lower end to said plate member and extending upwardly through the pilot hole in said plug member, said guide rod serving as a guide for maintaining the piston. concentrically within the cylinder during its reciprocating movement and for properly aligning the radial position of said piston in said cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

